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diehardtwinsfan

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Everything posted by diehardtwinsfan

  1. diehardtwinsfan
    Most of the 1 year deals have replacements that should be able to prove themselves at some point this year. I don't think that this is too concerning personally. So to answer the question, yes, they are in win now mode... and yes, they have the core in place to win down the road as well.
  2. diehardtwinsfan
    ah, the sweet relief of a game thread. Glad to see RB got the opening day nod today. Now let's win our first.
  3. diehardtwinsfan
    This is a reasonable take, but they've lost some players here (and to be fair, we really haven't), and I think there's more "primed for regression" candidates than what we have. Lots of guys had career years. Perhaps that continues for them, but it's also possible guys take steps back. I do tend to agree that Cleveland is (and should be) the favorite... as much as I hate that, but I tend to agree with Levi in that I don't think the gap is that large. I doubt they win 102, especially with a much stronger team here, not to mention a Chicago team that is talented enough to likely not be pushovers. I think Cleveland is a 95ish win team. I've said I think the Twins can win 95... Truthfully, that's my top end projection (probably more 92-95 and pre-Polanco) baring injuries of course. Baring something catastrophic, it should be a good race. While Cleveland can (and should) be the favorite, this is a team that can surprise them and take them down.
  4. diehardtwinsfan
    I don't get the consternation on the 4th OF position. As Seth mentioned, Granite is going to get the call if someone gets hurt (unless LaMarre is doing well)... Is that a bad thing? It ultimately means more talent in the org. Yeah, it's ST stats, and yeah, it's probably a mirage, but just as I'd hope the FO is smarter than taking ST stats on their own merit, I'd also hope they can look at someone and see the adjustments that were made allowing for said stats and make an educated guess as to whether or not they are sustainable. Ultimately, it's a 4th OF spot for a guy who is an above average defender. His ceiling, like it or not, is much higher than Granites as of now, and if giving a temporary roster spot is needed to determine it, I'm fine with that. It's not like Granite will be playing much had he won the spot, and one could argue that his development is best served playing every day.
  5. diehardtwinsfan
    For the record, the starting pitching average ERA for the AL in 2017 was 4.54. League average for both leagues was 4.49. I wouldn't call it rare, but I think it's far to echo what others have said that it's hard to find guys who can consistently pitch better than average. Part of that is health. Part of that is pitching is hard. I think saber in particular has changed a lot of that, especially with the focus on things like launch angles and what not.
  6. diehardtwinsfan
    Rosario is the guy that I think could have a monster season. He's certainly trending in the right direction on his Oswing numbers, and yeah, I think a 900+ OPS is very possible if he gets that number down to around 30%. I don't know if you'll see that this year, but I think the trend is clear that this number should continue to drop a bit. I'm not quite sure what to think about Kepler. He was the weak link in the OF last year, being a league average bat with a good defense. That's not bad. He probably has the most room for improvement at least in terms of hitting his ceiling. I don't expect him to be a world beater against lefties, but I think he can improve his OPS against righties too, and if he can get the lefty OPS to something respectable between .600-.700, he'll be fine. As for Buxton, here's to hoping second half Buxton is the new normal. I'd be curious on his swing percentages by half. He certainly seemed to be doing a better job laying off the crap. That 31% number though says he has a ways to go there.
  7. diehardtwinsfan
    My first thought on reading this article was something along those lines. I don't think Cleveland wins 100 games this season, and I think we have every reason to believe Minnesota can win a lot more than 85.
  8. diehardtwinsfan
    I'd likely lean that way too, though I can see the logic about keeping Granite in AAA and calling him up when someone is inevitably hurt. It's probably worth noting that LaMarre was a 2nd round pick, destroyed the NCAA, and is a CF, not a corner OF. A .720 OPS out of a CF isn't all that bad. It's not stellar, but if the defense is good, that's fine. If Lamarre can play above average defense at any position, I'm quite fine with that as a 5th OF, with Granite getting the call when there's an injury. I certainly like the excitement of the hot spring, but this is firmly in SSS territory, so yeah, I think the skeptics have a right to be skeptical here, though if has reinvented himself, he's going to have the opportunity to show it. I don't mind it. I really don't think the tradeoff between Lamarre and Granite is going to amount to anything.
  9. diehardtwinsfan
    I wouldn't treat the lack of anything said publicly on this as evidence that MLB is not requiring counseling. I wouldn't be surprised at all if that was something that either MN or MLB strongly encouraged... whether or not Sano chooses to do so is a different issue. But yeah, no winners. Time wasn't on Betsy's side on this one, and if I'm reading between the lines, she's basically acknowledged as much.
  10. diehardtwinsfan
    I'm not really sure MLB is the arbiter of the guilt/innocence in this situation. They had to investigate, and they should have. The lack of evidence is the reason he's not being suspended, not that he did or didn't do it. Like others, I hope he grows from this. I'm not quite sure where I fall, though I tend to lean towards the accuser in this case. That said, I think we can all be thankful that this isn't the NFL handling the investigation.
  11. diehardtwinsfan
    Hopefully Morrison proves to be that steady guy. The Twins have spent way too many seasons wasting the DH with production that would rival national league teams. I like that they went out and got one. It was a weak spot in an already dangerous lineup.
  12. diehardtwinsfan
    If by surprised, you mean terrified, then yes...
  13. diehardtwinsfan
    Some kid named Buxton couldn't crack an .800 OPS in the advanced rookie league either. The injury hurts, I agree, but I'd hardly write him off at this point. He's definitely a bat first prospect, and I agree he loses a lot of helium if he moves out of the corner, but he's hardly a bad prospect.
  14. diehardtwinsfan
    Escobar has shown on enough occasions that he has the potential to be a well above average bat at SS behind average at best defense at SS. He's probably not signed through his arb years b/c he knows it, and that's a starting job on a lot of teams. Injury seems to be the thing that has derailed him, because by now I suspect he'd be an entrenched starter otherwise. The question at hand is whether his injuries are durability related or just bad luck. I'm perfectly fine letting him have the next 80 games. If Sano gets suspended, I'd roll with a Gordon mini-test for the duration of that suspension letting Adrianza do what he does best (late inning defensive sub/spot starter). I think letting Adrianza start 80 games would not be wise. The defense would be good... the bat not so much, and I don't think his defensive chops would out weigh his offensive deficiency.
  15. diehardtwinsfan
    If Rooker had done this multiple years in a row, he'd have been drafted much higher. The question is as to his breakout as to whether or not it's a mirage or not. What I'll say is this: It's very rare for someone taken that low to make top 100 lists their first offseason, yet Rooker has, so it's not just Twins fans providing helium.It's also rare for a college hitter to destroy the FSL in his first pro season (and even more impressive given that he started out a bit slow, and once it clicked, well, that was pretty awesome...)The FSL is well known for suppressing power, yet Rooker hit 11 home runs in 40 games. Add some doubles to that as well and 42.5% of his hits went for extra bases. (yes, I know it's small sample).It's also worth noting that he was likely the best, or second best depending on how you liked McKay, college bat available. That guy usually gets drafted much higher (think guys like Bryant, Schwarber, Happ). His real issue was the lack of a position and that he really didn't show enough his previous year. I think the Twins made a very smart play taking him where they did. I liked that pick in June, and I still like it now. Personally, I just like that he seems to adjust quickly. He did that in the Appy and then again in the FSL. He's got some impressive power to go with a higher average and decent on base skills. This year will tell us if the helium is legit.
  16. diehardtwinsfan
    I would like to know how they place value on players being traded. One could argue that the prospect received is worth more (or less) than the 10M contract a team offloaded. That's a very subjective analysis, as I'm guessing an IRS auditor won't be using fangraphs asset values.
  17. diehardtwinsfan
    I'd probably prefer Lynn at 1/12 than 4/56. I know I'd prefer Lynn at 4/56 than Cobb at 4/56...
  18. diehardtwinsfan
    In my opinion, but I wouldn't be surprised if Gordon gets an extended look. They will need to get an idea if he's ready to replace Dozier next season. I don't see Adrianza being anything more than what he was signed to be. Escobar, I do think can hold the position. His bat more than makes up for his defensive liability, but that will depend on the Sano situation. If both Sano and Polanco are out for a period of time, I could see that as a quick trial for Gordon. I'm not sure I'd run with Adrianza every day.
  19. diehardtwinsfan
    This was a great piece... Makes me think that Pressley isn't too far away from being a good pitcher. Release points are correctable.
  20. diehardtwinsfan
    That sadly says way more about mankind than it does Mariah.
  21. diehardtwinsfan
    wonder what the Vegas odds would be.
  22. diehardtwinsfan
    I think this guy is going to be a stud. Don't know why, but I think he could be our version of Edgar Martinez.
  23. diehardtwinsfan
    Twins win 95 games. Mauer contends for batting title. Sano and Buxton contend for MVP, neither wins b/c they split the vote. Twins actually win a playoff series.
  24. diehardtwinsfan
    I've been to the DR a few times... I'll simply say that I buy the idea that the supplement could have been tainted... With as many players from the DR suspended, one would think though that players would want to find ways around that... it's not like it would be hard to pick up a 3 month supply of supplements at GNC or Costco and take it back with you if you wanted to avoid that though... I don't know if this was an accident or intentional, but this is on Polanco. Best he can do is what Santana did and cooperate so as to help people figure out where it's coming from.
  25. diehardtwinsfan
    I think it's a tad bit unfair to say the rule is racist only by only the results. Racism implies something more, namely an intent to repress. As Carole noted, it's Dominicans getting suspended by this more often than others, and yeah, these drugs are legal there. That's not really racism. MLB provides Polanco a way to get untainted supplements do they not? I'm not quite sure how this is racist when he could have gotten these items through MLB. At some point, you just need to accept responsibility. I don't know if he was intentionally using PEDs or not, but he's still responsible.
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